Fiberizing steam ring



Jan. 20, 1959 J. A. EBBINGHOUSE FIBERIZING STEAM RING 7 Filed Sept. 3,1957 @1422; {a 7'. 470172 lil'h'n bauja Wary X fl arne g5.

rrsrmzmc STEAM RING John A. Ebbinghouse, Rolling Hills, Califi, assignorto American Rock Wool Corp., Wabash, End, a corporation of IndianaApplication September 3, 195"), Serial No. 681,516

3 Claims, (til. 18-25) The present invention relates to the productionof mineral wool and more particularly to a novel construction of steamring for use in the fiberization of mineral wool from fiber-formingmaterial including blast furnace slag, wool rock, vitreous materials,etc.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a novelconstruction and contour of a steam ring for fiberizing the moltenfiber-forming material.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novelconstruction of a fiberizing steam ring encompassing a distributingmeans from which molten slag or fiber-forming material is centrifugallyejected in an annular pattern and intercepted by oncompassing steam jetsfor attenuating the ejected material into mineral wool fibers.

In the disclosed embodiment, the novel steam ring is provided with anannular steam chest of rectangular shape in cross section, and anoutwardly tapered face or end Wall having converging flat surfaces thatmerge into a narrow, annular leading edge containing a plurality ofclosely spaced orifices. This end wall at its interior is provided withconverging inner surfaces that channel and direct the steam underpressure through a constricted passage to and through the dischargeorifices in the leading edge of the tapered end wall. By means of thetapered exterior of this end wall the air is permitted to pass over andabout the ring with a minimum of turbulence whereby the quality andquantity of the formed fibers is greatly enhanced.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novelfiberizing steam ring so designed, constructed and arranged as togreatly increase the rate of recovery of the finished product from theraw materials employed; to increase the production rates and to improvethe quality of the finished product by producing fibers of more uniformsize than obtainable with steam rings that have a flat or curved facecontaining the discharge ports. Fun thcrmore, in the employment of thepresent novel fiberizing steam ring operational problems in theoperation of other component parts of the fiberizing apparatus areminimized or obviated.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity,efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such furtherobjects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear andare inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a fragmentary veitical cross sectional view of a fiberizingapparatus for producing mineral wool fibers embodying the novelfiberizing steam ring of the present invention, the apparatus beingshown associated with a suitable collection chamber.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the novel fiberizing steam ring.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in vertical cross section of the steam ring,the view being taken on approximately the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and viewedin the direction of the p g fiefl Jan, 20, 1959 Referring moreparticularly to the disclosure in the drawing, Fig. 1 discloses afiberizing unit or apparatus for producing mineral wool fibers fromblast furnace slag, wool rock, vitreous materials, etc. In theillustrative embodiment, there is shown a cup-shaped rotor ordistributor it for receiving molten slag or fiber-forming material 111discharged as a stream onto a guide trough or directing plate 12 from acupola or furnace and from the trough onto the inner cup-shaped surface13 of the rotor 10.

The rotor or distributor 10 is rotated at a high speed by means of ahorizontally disposed drive shaft 14 driven from a motor or other powersource in any suitable manner. Due to the high speed of the rotor themolten slag or fiber-forming material collects as a relatively thinlayer 15 upon the inner surface 13 of the rotor and is centrifugally andtangentially ejected therefrom in an annular pattern and in asubstantially vertical plane over the annular peripheral edge 16 of therotor.

Encompassing but spaced radially and laterally from the peripheral edge16 of the rotor ll is the novel steam fiberizing ring 17 of the presentinvention mounted and retained in any suitable manner. It comprises acircular or annular steam chest 18 having concentrically arranged butspaced walls 19 and 29, an annular end wall 21 providing a closure forthe rear of the chest except for one or more inlet pipes 22 for theentry of steam under pressure into the steam chest 18. At its forward ordischarge end the steam ring is provided with an annular end wall 2.?having its forwardly projecting exterior surfaces 24 and 25 convergingto form a narrow leading edge 26 containing a plurality of small andclosely spaced discharge orifices 27 for discharge of jets of steamunder pressure. The issuing jets of steam issuing through the pluralorifices 2'7 provide the force necessary to draw the molten slag orfiber-forming material centrifugally ejected over the peripheral edge 16of the distributing rotor 10 into attenuated mineralwool fibers 28.

The stearn chest 18 of the novel fiberizing ring 17 as shown in Fig. 3is substantially rectangular in cross section with the tapered endWall'or face 23 formed by the converging exterior surfaces 24 and 25providing a very important feature of the present invention in that thecontour of this face permits the passage of air about the ring withoutthe usual turbulence inherent in steam rings having a flat or curvedface containing the discharge orifices. The walls 19 and 2d, the endwall 21 and the end wall 23 of the ring 17 are welded or otherwiserigidly connected into an integral assembly.

The steam emerging from the steam chest 18 under pressure is directed tothe orifices or ports 27 through the annular constricted passage formedby the converging inner surfaces 29 and 3t) and opening into theorifices 27.

The fiberizing assembly is shown mounted for operation in anencompassing collecting hood 31 through a portal or opening 32 into acollection chamber or wool room 33 preferably by suction.

The present novel fiberizing steam ring, in addition to the above notedadvantages, accomplishes the following objectives in the manufacture ofmineral wool fibers:

(1) it greatly increases recovery of the finished mineral wool fibersfrom the raw materials.

(2) It increases production rates.

(3) it improves the quality of the finished products in that it producesa more uniform fiber size and reduces the quantity of resulting shot.

(4) it reduces operating problems in conjunction with other equipment orcomponent parts of the fiberizing unit.

As but illustrative of the disclosed embodiment and not to be taken aslimiting the present invention, excellent results have been obtainedemploying a fiberizing steam ring for intercepting the moltenfiber-forming material or slag centrifugally ejected by the distributingrotor 10 into the path of the steam jets having an external diameter ofapproximately 13% inches, an internal diameter of approximately 11%inches and a diameter to the center of the orifices 27 of approximately12% inches. The narrow, annular leading edge 26 is approximately inch inwidth with the orifices uniformly spaced apart approximately inchbetween centers, the orifices being approximately 0.1 inch in diameter.These orifices are spaced axially approximately inch from. the edge ofthe distributing rotor with an open area or radial spacing between theperipheral edge of the rotor and the steam fiberizing ring ofapproximately 1.75 inches.

The fiberizing steam ring 17 shown in greater detail in Fig. 3 has adepth of approximately 2 inches from the exterior of the end wall orplate 21 to the leading edge 26, with the inclination of the tapered orconverging exterior surfaces 24 and 25 of the outer face being disposedat an angle of approximately 45 to the vertical and the inclination ofthe converging interior surfaces 29 and 30 forming a constricted passageto the orifices 27 being disposed at an angle of approximately 60 to thevertical. The steam pressures employed are of the order of approximately60 pounds per square inch.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for converting molten slag into fibers comprising acup-shaped distributing rotor, means for rapidly rotating saiddistributing rotor about a horizontal axis, means for feeding the moltenslag onto the inner surface of said rotor as the latter is rapidlyrotated whereby the molten slag is centrifugally ejected over theperipheral edge of the rotor in a substantially vertical plane, and afiberizing steam ring spaced axially and radially outward from theperipheral edge of the rotor, said steam ring comprising an annularsteam chest having an end wall provided with outer converging surfacesdisposed at an angle of approximately 45 to the vertical, the forwardconstricted end of said end wall having a plurality of small, uniformlyspaced and circumferentially arranged orifices for discharging jets ofsteam in an annular pattern about the circumference of the rotor andnormal to the path of travel of the molten slag leaving the peripheraledge of the rotor to intercept and fiberize the centrifugally ejectedmolten fiber-forming material.

2. Apparatus for converting molten slag into fibers comprising acup-shaped distributing rotor, means for rapidly rotating saiddistributing motor about a horizontal axis, means for feeding the moltenslag onto the inner surface of said rotor as the latter is rapidlyrotated whereby to centrifugally eject the molten slag over theperipheral edge of the rotor in a substantially vertical plane, and anannular steam chest for intercepting the ejected molten slag andattenuating this slag into fibers, said chest being of substantiallyrectangular cross section and provided with a tapered end wall in whichthe external and internal surfaces converge toward the front of said endwall with said internal converging surfaces forming a constrictedpassage and said external converging surfaces forming an annular leadingedge provided with a plurality of small and uniformly spaced aperturestherethrough disposed about but spaced outwardly and axially of theperipheral edge of the rotor for the discharge of jets of steam underpressure from the steam chest, through said orifices in a directionnormal to the path of travel of the centrifugally ejected slag forattenuating this slag into mineral wool fibers.

3. Apparatus for converting molten slag into fibers as set forth inclaim 2, in which the opposite sides of the tapered end wall converge toprovide a narrow annular and vertically disposed leading edge throughwhich said apertures open to discharge jets of steam about and axiallyof said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent -UNITED STATES PATENTS198,057 Tatham Dec. 11, 1877 328,227 Kennedy et a1 Oct. 13, 18851,948,807 Taylor Feb. 27, 1934 2,188,927 Slayter Feb. 6, 1940 2,646,593Downey July 28, 1953 2,682,079 Richardson June 29, 1954 2,785,010 NelsonMar. 12, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 206,132 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1925180,739 Australia Jan. 10, 1 955 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Certificateof Correction Patent No. 2,869,175 January 20, 1959 John A. EbbinghouseIt is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requlring correction and that the saidLetters Patent should read as corrected below Column 1, line 3, fordistributing motor read distributing rotor. Signed and sealed this 28thday of April 1959.

[SEAL] Attest: T. B. MORROW, ROBERT C. WATSON, Attestz'ng Oyfioer.Commissioner of Patents.

